Thomas Dine

Thomas Dine   (activist, spook, civil servant)
Born	29 February 1940
Nationality	US
Alma mater	Colgate University, University of California in Los Angeles, Johns Hopkins University
Member of	Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, Council on Foreign Relations/Historical Members, Freedom House, The Prague Society
Former executive director of AIPAC and former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty  American Israel Public Affairs Committee/Executive Director In office 1980 - 1993  RFE/RL/director In office August 1997 - November 2005

Thomas A. Dine is the former executive director of AIPAC and former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Career

In the 1970s he worked in the U.S. Senate and the American Embassies in New Delhi, India as the Personal Assistant to Ambassador Chester Bowles (1967-1969), and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines 1962-64.

He was a Senior Analyst for the United States Senate Special Committee on National Emergencies and Delegated Powers from 1973 through 1974. Following this, he worked for the Senate Budget Committee in 1975 through 1978. In 1979 through 1980, he was an advisor to Senator Edmund Muskie on the nuclear weapons policy and the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, as well as a defense and foreign policy advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

1980-1993 he headed the American Israel Public Afairs Committee AIPAC; 1993-1996 served as Assistant Administrator for Europe and the New Independent States for USAID; president of the "former" CIA stations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 1997-2005; chief executive officer of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties from 2005 to 2007.

Appointments

"Because money for Israel originates in Senate and House foreign affairs committees, AIPAC has long ago insured that each and every member of these committees is unconditionally loyal to Israel. Beyond this, AIPAC insures that every other member of Congress consistently votes and speaks out for Israel; that AIPAC's candidate is selected for every "interesting"assignment. In 1983, US Secretary of State George Shultz appointed the head of AIPAC himself, Thomas A. Dine, to a blue ribbon planel of prominent citizens to recommend changes in the foreign aid program. Dine was the only lobbyist on this panel composed of 27 Senators and Representatives, a fact that made James Abourezk remark "It would make as much sense to let the president of Lockheed Corporation serve on a Defense Department board which decides what planes our air force will buy" (Paul Findley, pp. 31).

• 1970 to 1974: Dine served as Senator Frank Church's legislative assistant for foreign affairs
• 1973 to 1974: U.S. Senate Special Committee on National Emergencies and Delegated Powers
• 1975 to 1978: Dine served as head of the Senate Budget Committee's national security staff
• 1979-1980: Was advisor to Senator Edmund Muskie on nuclear weapons policy and the SALT treaty, and defense and foreign policy advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Affiliations

• Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President (2005)
• AIPAC former President (1980-1993)
• Israel Policy Forum - Senior Policy Adviser
• Committee for the Liberation of Iraq
• Brookings Institution – 1979 Senior Fellow, Washington
• Council on Foreign Relations – since 1974
• Mark C. Medish Partner Akin Gump specialising on property rights in Russia/former Soviet Union (worked together with Thomas Dine on ex-Soviet property)
• Freedom House Trustee Board member.
• Prague Society for International Cooperation, a NGO whose main goals are networking and the development of a new generation of "responsible, well-informed" leaders and thinkers.

External links

• Joe Eskenazi, "A man of the world: From AIPAC to Radio Free Europe to San Francisco JCF", Jewish News Weekly, 29 July, 2005.

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